The Future Ain't Looking Too Good Either
by themasterwaifu
Summary: Radio silence reigns in the halls of Gatewatch after Jace's disastrous attempt to come clean. But will one life changing crisis after another be enough to bring a family back together? Knowing their track record, probably not. Rated for violence Part 3 of 3 COMPLETED


The two months following Chandra's emotional revelation were tense, to put it mildly. She couldn't stand to even be in the same room as Jace, so the atmosphere at Gatewatch HQ became toxic very quickly. Lilianna was seen less and less. Gideon had taken up more missions with his Order. Chandra was bouncing back and forth between Oracle and her workshop, being sure to spend as little time there as possible. Jace had thrown himself head first into his paperwork so much so that a cot and blanket were put into his office at the Hall of the Guildpact (while this led to a marked uptick in his productivity, it also meant a sharp decline of his health). Even poor Zane, who couldn't cope with his parents unable to look at each other, opted to stay at the Consortium headquarters to keep a closer eye on things. It was Zane who had to explain what happened to Ajani and Teferi, as he had been the only one around when they two arrived. All three had agreed that this was childish, but there wasn't much they could do. Even Sorin had taken the time to come to Ravnica to berate Jace for his stupidity. He had then gone to plead with Chandra to talk, which resulted in Sorin's almost death and the loss of both his eyebrows. No one had tried to talk to her after that. Thankfully for them, there were no world shattering problems during that time.

It was at the end of that first two months that things went from bad to worse. Jace had to go home for one night to shower, change, and get a proper night's sleep in his own bed. Unfortunately, he chose the night that Chandra had to do the exact same thing. He had come in as she was coming down the stairs and felt the temperature raise at least twenty degrees. He just inclined his head, refused to meet her gaze, and continued on to his bedroom. That feeling of shame that made him wipe his memories the first time was back with a vengeance, but this time it made him want to crawl into a hole and die. Instead he crawled into his bed and pulled the covers over his head to try to block out his life.

He slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning just as he had in his office, perhaps more so because he knew just three floors up was someone who'd be pleased if he died. At one point he'd decided sleep was for the weak, and ended up in his library. Yanking a random book off the shelves, he tossed himself into one of the plush reading chairs and idly read. He didn't retain a single thing, and ended up rereading entire paragraphs over and over again because he honestly couldn't remember them. As he thumbed through the pages, he felt himself going more and more numb, unable to keep his eyes open but unable to move back to his bed. Regret kept him too exhausted to sleep.

Terrified screaming had shaken him out of his stupor. It was coming from one of the floors above, and seeing as only he and Chandra were there, there was little doubt whose room it was coming from. He didn't hesitate. Jumping from his chair, he ran up all three flights of stairs and entered Chandra's room just as she jolted up, still screaming. He was at her side in a second, wrapping her in a tight hug even as she struggled. He could tell she wasn't struggling because it was him, though, more that the terror of her dream had her fighting everything. So there he sat until she calmed, stroking her hair and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She had clung to him the entire time, crying softly into his shoulder for an hour before she exhausted herself enough to sleep again.

When he felt her loosen her grip, he started to untangle himself from her and lay her back down. Even tear stained and exhausted, her still found her beautiful. Carefully he brushed a piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He cursed himself. If only he hadn't been so stupid he'd have been able to be with her every night, he'd have been able to see their son grow up, he'd have been able to dry every tear and comfort every nightmare… Perhaps it wasn't meant be? It shouldn't be a difficult concept for him to grasp, but he found it a distasteful one all the same.

He placed a soft kiss to her temple and whispered, "I'm sorry, Chandra… I love you." He sat up, ready to leave her be and head back to his self-imposed isolation. A hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked down to see Chandra had grabbed him, sleepy eyes pleading for him not to leave her just yet. Will power crumbling faster than he could think, he climbed into bed with her (on top of the covers) and wrapped her in his arms. She was instantly asleep, nuzzled into his chest, and he found himself drifting off as well. He figured as long as he was gone before she woke up he would live to tell the tale.

* * *

Sunrise came too soon, and the light streamed right into Chandra's eyes. She awoke grumpy, and strangely lonely, as the memories of the night before slowly filtered back. The memory of that terrible nightmare woke her up in an instant. She shuddered as she recalled that all-consuming darkness, the terrible cold of a world with no life. A choked sob left her as she forced the ice from her heart. She only sort of remembered Jace coming into her room, but as he wasn't there and the bed wasn't so disturbed, she chalked it up to more of her nightmare.

Slowly she got out of bed, taking her time to shower and dress before she had to face another day. It was exhausting being so angry, and now she was just tired. Perhaps one of these days she'd take her friends advice and talk to Jace. After all, she'd never heard his side of the story, but part of her didn't want to. She didn't want the confirmation of his betrayal any more than she wanted a story of a potential misunderstanding. It was easier for her to justify her anger if she continued to believe he was just a jerk.

Coffee helped her relax shaking hands. She had come downstairs to find herself all alone in the house again and with a sigh of relief had gone about making her breakfast. It wasn't a great affair, just some toast, mostly because she hadn't been around enough to do the shopping. As always she cursed those boys, they had never figured out how to buy food properly. Not that it really mattered. No one was around enough anyway. Once she had finished, she went about cleaning out the fridge and pantry of everything that had gone bad. It was quite a bit. Perhaps later she could go to the market, just in case Gideon or Zane came back for a night or two. She didn't want them starving.

"Ma?" Chandra had a bit of a 'speak of the devil' moment as she turned to face her son. She was glad to see him, but also concerned as she took a good look. He was holding his head in one hand, eyes squeezed shut as he leaned heavily on the doorframe into the kitchen.

"I'm right here sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, coming to her son's side.

"I got a killer headache," he muttered, resting his head on her shoulder. "Do you still have that tonic?"

"Of course. Go sit on the couch, I'll bring it out." She gave him a small pat on the back as he walked off, groaning the entire way. She chuckled a little and went about making him a cup of tea. He hated the taste of the tonic, so she did her best to mask the flavor with a pungent brew. "Enough's enough, Zane, I'm calling the doctor today. I'm worried about these headaches. What if you have migraines? My mom had migraines. My dad had to give her a shot every time she got one just to have some relief. They can really mess up your brain, ya know. I still think you're working too hard. You need a break, just like everyone else."

"I don't need a break. I'm fine." His words were a little slurred, but she pinned it on the pain.

"But you're not fine. This is, what? The third headache this week? It's way to frequent to be healthy. What if you have a tumor or something? I knew someone like that once. They kept having all these headaches and ignored it. You know what happened? They had a tumor the size of a softball in their brain. By the time they found it, it was too late, and he was dead a week later. I don't want that to happen to you. So please, stop bitching and let me take you to the doctor. Okay?"

She didn't get a response, so she figured he was rolling his eyes and ignoring her worrying like always. With the help of her magic, the tea steeped quickly, and she put a few drops of the tonic in. With a self-satisfied smile, she brought the cup out to the living room. She promptly dropped it, shattering it into a million pieces as she screamed.

Jace could hear said scream even from where he was at the top of his tower. He hadn't left the building, but sat up on the roof of the spire as he always did when things got too much. As with the night before, hearing her scream had gotten him on his feet in a second and before he knew it, he was standing in the archway to the living room. The scene before him had him rooted to the ground.

Zane was violently seizing. Chandra had enough sense to get him on the floor and keep his head in her lap, holding it steady so he didn't concuss himself. She was crying, unable to do anything more to help her only child and feeling completely useless. Jace came back to himself quickly and managed to call an ambulance.

* * *

"I'm afraid we're still not quite sure what caused his seizure. We were able to rule out the most common reasons, but there are still quite a lot of unanswered questions. If you could just give us a full medical history, it could prove invaluable."

The doctor tapped impatiently on his clipboard, waiting for Chandra to answer him. They'd been at the hospital for hours. Zane had stopped seizing after a terrifying twenty minutes, and had remained unconscious since. Nurses had been prodding Chandra since they got there for his records and she wasn't sure what to tell them. By their nature, planeswalkers couldn't die from natural causes, and she hoped that included seizures. How could she explain that to these mortals? It was bad enough having to explain why she looked like a teenager and had an adult child. What would the doctors make of her? Would they find her insane and lock her up? Or would they take her and her son to some strange lab and experiment on them? There was a reason they kept the nature of their existence a secret.

"I already told your nurses, I don't have it!" she snapped, half way between shouting and crying. "He wasn't in my care most of his life. I don't know!"

"Family history then!" the doctor huffed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Is there a family history of seizures or epilepsy?!"

"Not on my side," she said, wiping more tears from her eyes.

"And his father?"

Chandra cast a quick sideways glace at Jace, who had accompanied her to the hospital and was sitting next to her. "I don't know. When can I see my son?"

The doctor huffed again, but consulted his clipboard. "He's stable now, so you can go in. Try to stay calm. He may be in a coma, but chances are he can still hear everything that's going on. If you start screaming, it might make him retreat farther into himself and make it harder for him to wake. Understand?"

"Yeah I got it," she muttered. She made a beeline for the room, closing the door soundly behind her.

The doctor sighed deeply, writing something down before turning to go down the hall. Jace stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, nervously biting his lip.

"Doc," he started, watching the doctor turn a curious gaze on him, "there is a history of seizures. On his father's side. I'm his father. It's confusing, don't ask, but she doesn't know that I know, so can we keep this just between us?"

The doctor looked unimpressed, like that wasn't the weirdest thing he'd heard, and instead just started writing on the chart again. "Epilepsy?"

"It was never diagnosed like that, no," Jace said hesitantly as he wracked his brain for what he was diagnosed with. "The doctor who treated me said it comes with the type of magic I do. That he can do. Mind magic. It takes a nasty toll…"

"I see." The doctor wrote some more things down and called a nurse over. "If you wouldn't mind, My Lord, I'd like to do a full blood work up on you. Epilepsy is sometimes passed down in the genes. If we find something in your blood or DNA, it could help us determine what happened to you son. Do you consent?"

"Of course. And Doc… Please don't tell Chandra."

"I've seen stranger parental arrangements, I can assure you," the doctor said as he adjusted his glasses and handed a piece of paper to the waiting nurse. "Doctor patient confidentiality, My Lord. Your secret is safe with me."

Jace nodded and thanked him before following the nurse.

* * *

They couldn't find anything in the blood work besides anemia. Jace had to laugh when he heard it. Chandra and Lavinia had been telling him for years he'd become anemic if he wasn't careful. It was a vitamin deficiency that was easily fixed, but nothing that could have been passed down to cause Zane's current state. By this point the boy had been unconscious for almost a day. Jace was allowed into the room with them, and sat on the other side of the bed from Chandra, up against the wall in a shadow. She was holding Zane's hand and gently stroking the back with her thumb, muttering in that strange language. He didn't have the energy to translate. Instead he sat there watching her, regretting every decision he'd ever made regarding her and wishing he could take it all back.

"He's my only child," Chandra said, this time in Common, so suddenly that Jace actually jumped. "He's the only one to survive. My first child was still born. I've had four miscarriages after him. He's the only child I'll ever have and I can't watch him die like this." She was close to tears again, and covered her mouth with her free hand.

"He's not going to die," Jace said softly, sighing. "He can't die from this. I promise you, he's going to be just fine." All she could do was nod, but a tear still slipped from her eyes. She was in so much pain, and he wasn't sure how to help her. Wasn't sure if he could. He thought about what the doctor said, that Zane could probably still hear them. As he looked down on his son that probably was dying, he knew he had a promise to fulfill. "I thought you were dead." That wasn't what he wanted to start with, but his mouth had blurted it out before he could stop himself.

"What?" Chandra was confused, as he expected, and actually looked at him for the first time in two months.

"I thought you were dead and that's why I had to wipe my memories," he clarified, watching the realization come into her eyes. "I felt guilty. I couldn't stand it. I was too afraid to kill myself to join you so I locked away my memories and that was that."

She was trying to control herself that much was clear. Her hands were shaking, and fire licked at the tips of her hair. "Why would you feel guilty about that? You abandoned us."

"I didn't!" he shouted, making her reel back. "I didn't. I wouldn't! Fuck." He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair, staring at the wall for a moment as he tried to compose himself and his thoughts. "You just told me you were pregnant. You agreed to marry me. I thought it was all a crazy dream! So I came here, to Ravnica, to clear my head… And find us a place to live."

"Excuse me?" She was close to tears again, and he was too far gone to stop now.

"I didn't want us to stay on Regatha. The way they treated pyromancers made me worry that you'd be taken away and killed. And I didn't want to go to the monastery. And I know Ravnica and I knew that we'd be able to find someone to train both of us. So I went and I looked and I forgot that fucking time differential bullshit existed!"

Her eyes widened and he knew she understood what he was trying to say. She always was sharp as a tack. "How long were you gone?" she asked carefully, like she was almost afraid of the answer.

"Less than a day." Her breath left her in a whoosh and he continued. "I didn't realize it until I looked at the goddamn newspaper and saw the date. I came back immediately and I… I couldn't find you anywhere. Months had gone by and I searched, I swear I did. You'd vanished and I assumed the worst."

"The note?" The way her eyebrow twitched noted how furious she was, and he knew he had to tread carefully with his answer. "'I'm sorry'? What the fuck was that about?"

"Yeah that wasn't my best choice of words—"

"Ya think?!"

"—but I couldn't find a piece of paper big enough to explain. Besides, I thought I'd be back that night to tell you where I'd been! I was saying sorry for not being there when you woke up. Shit."

She clamped her mouth shut at that and sharply turned her head aside. Her breathing was audible, her hands were still shaking, and he could tell she was trying so hard to stay calm. "How long?"

 _Oh shit._ It was an inevitable question, but one he had been hoping she wouldn't ask. He didn't want to tell her that the memories had been slowly returning since they met six years ago. So he fibbed. "Ixalan," he choked out. His voice was growing hoarse. This was the most talking he'd done in months. "Bolas knocked my brain out of my skull. When I got all my memories back, those came too." Two years was only slightly better than six. However, the way her eyes snapped back to his made him realize that she wasn't buying his little white lie.

"You have been lying to me, laughing at me, making me look like an _idiot_ for years…!" She had to bite back her words, lest she go off. He was about to protest, but she just held up a hand to silence him. "And now what? You expect I'm just going to forgive you and we'll all live happily ever after, is that it? Well guess what. This isn't some fantastical romance movie; I will _never_ forgive you. You got that?" She stood sharply, scrubbing her face with her hands. "I need some air. Will you…?"

"I'll let you know if he wakes up," Jace nodded, watching her storm out of the room. He took a deep breath, sighing heavily as he sank a little farther into the chair. Well, there it was, his grand confession. He thought he'd feel a weight lifted, but now his heart was heavier than ever. He stood on unsteady legs and sat back down in the seat Chandra had vacated. It was warm, and smelled just like her. That musky scent of sandalwood and lavender that wrapped around him like a blanket. He inhaled deeply, taking in that oh so familiar smell, and sighed. Carefully he took his son's hand and laughed sadly. "Now you get why I'm always trying to make you think. One stupid lapse in judgement cost me my family… Well, I kept my promise, I explained myself. I hope you're happy."

"Oh yeah, I'm dying and my parents won't talk to each other. I'm happy as a fucking clam."

Jace very nearly jumped out of his skin hearing Zane's voice. He looked down and the boy didn't _look_ like he'd moved or spoken. Jace narrowed his eyes. There was a tiny twitch in the corner of his lips, like he was trying very hard not to smile. His eyes were shifting around wildly behind his eyelids. His fingers flexed.

"Zanithar." Another lip twitch. Jace frowned. "Exactly how long have you been awake?"

Zane cracked one eye open, and when he saw that Jace wasn't terribly angry, opened both and gave him a cheeky grin. "Long enough. Rough start, solid finish. All eloquently put. I can respect it."

Jace felt his eyebrow twitch as a headache started to form. _Cheeky little brat._ "You had your mother worried sick."

"She worries anyway. I didn't want to ruin the moment," he wiggled his eyebrows. Jace just sighed. It took some effort for him to sit up, but once he was, Jace hit the buzzer to call a nurse. "Dad… don't worry too much about Ma. She'll storm off and huff for a while, sure, but she's not unreasonable. I'll talk to her."

"I appreciate it, but I got myself into this mess, I'll get myself out," Jace said with a chuckle, ruffling his son's hair. He reached out with his mind to let Chandra know about Zane's condition. She couldn't have gotten far, but still laid his net for a few miles out. When he couldn't find her, he tightened his search, and continued to frown. He pulled the mystical sending stone out of his pocket and tapped on a jewel a couple of time, eyebrows raising into his hairline when he found out what plane she was on. "When she said she needed air, she wasn't kidding…" So instead he sent her a text and turned his attention back to his son.

* * *

Zane spent a few more days in the hospital before he was sent home. The doctors were still unable to figure out what had caused his seizure, so they advised caution as they discharged him. He could only laugh. He felt better than he had his entire life. This worried his parents, who could do nothing more than watch and pray he didn't relapse.

A sense of normality came back to their home. Gideon had returned shortly after, and both Jace and Chandra were home more frequently to keep an eye on their child. They were forced to interact, and as the next few weeks rolled by their conversations became less hostile. There was still an edge to Chandra's words and it now only served to remind everyone how childish she was despite the fact she was older than all of them. It was clear to anyone that looked at her that she was beyond stressed, so they forgave a lot of her behavior.

Things had been going well until a letter arrived from Sorin. He wanted to throw Zane an "I'm glad you're not dead" soirée. This came with a measure of hilarity, as the vampire would take any excuse to party. Zane of course was all for it, but the adults in the house were nervous. He was still on some pretty heavy medication and Innistrad wasn't the safest of places. This launched an argument about how he wasn't a child anymore and perfectly capable of looking after himself all while being reminded that he did just almost die. Tempers flared, furniture was tossed about, curtains were singed, and it all ended with Chandra in a ball of tears and everyone feeling guilty. Eventually promises to not drink and stay indoors were extorted from the young man and they all left.

Turns out, when Sorin said soirée, he meant it. It was a relatively quiet affair, with them and just a few friends having a nice dinner. Even Sorin was cognoscente of the need to keep things calm lest he risk Zane going back in the hospital. They'd all grown fond of the little brat. Chandra just barely managed to keep things civil for her son's sake. He ended up going to bed early, claiming exhaustion, and Sorin broke out the alcohol. It was a decision he'd quickly come to regret.

"I never got to thank you guys properly for helping me with Emrakrul," Sorin said, pouring each of them a shot of some nameless clear liquor that smelled like gasoline. He raised his glass and the other's followed suit. "To the intrepid Gatewatch." They all echoed his toast, and threw back the shots. Chandra was the notable exception, she just put her glass down and laughed with Sorin as the others choked on the liquor. "You're not going to join us, my dear?"

"Hell no!" she chortled, picking up her water glass. "I know better than to drink with you. Besides, I'd rather have my wits about me."

"Come on, Chan, take a shot and relax, will you?" Gideon chided, booping her nose. The shot had already hit him, if the shade red on his cheeks was anything to go by.

"Next time," she said firmly, swatting his hand away.

"Yeah, gods forbid you make any bad decisions," Jace muttered quite a bit louder than he intended. He wasn't even looking at her, he was looking down at his glass, but he knew the instant all eye fell upon him. He audibly gulped.

"Excuse me?" Chandra's words were slow and measured, but the temperature in the room suddenly went up.

"You heard me," he snapped, still not looking at her. "Or are you deaf? Boy that'd be something, you're deaf, you're spawn's blind, I'm sensing a pattern here." He was usually in such control of his words and cursed Sorin and his liquors.

"Quit while you're behind," Liliana hissed from her seat next to him. He chanced a look at her. She was glaring. He cast his eyes down again.

"Spawn? Sons tend to follow their fathers." Chandra was speaking through gritted teeth, and it was only Gideon's hand on her shoulder that kept her in her seat. "I'd say that especially goes in this case, if Zane's recent actions are anything to go by."

"Oh yeah, why not, blame me, everything that goes wrong in my Multiverse is my fault apparently," he muttered, rolling his eyes. He finally turned to look at her and returned her furious glare with one of his own. "Maybe if you'd bothered to raise him instead of shoving him off on every unsuspecting wizard you'd found then maybe he'd be a bit better behaved."

"That's gone too far," Liliana hissed again, hitting him in the shoulder. "Shut your mouth!"

"Maybe if you'd stuck around I'd would have been able to raise him properly!" Chandra was standing now, her hands clutching the table cloth in a white knuckled grip. Smoke curled up from between her fingers.

"Maybe if you weren't such a cold hearted _bitch_ I wouldn't have left in the first place!" It was hitting below the belt, and he regretted the words the second they left his mouth. It was a blatant lie after all, she was the kindest and most generous person he'd ever met.

The fireball that was hurled at his face was not only expected but deserved. That still didn't stop him from dispelling it, however. When the puff of smoke cleared, he saw that Chandra was halfway up the steps and in tears. The doors slammed shut after her and left the room in tense silence for a minute. Then suddenly everyone was shouting.

"That was a disgusting display." "Go apologize!" "You're such an idiot." "This was my favorite tablecloth…" "And you call yourself a man."

"Everyone shut up!" As he shouted, a wave of magic shot out from him, pushing everyone several feet back from him. With a cry of frustration, he swept out of the room, leaving everyone behind shaking their heads.

* * *

As soon as she was in her room, Chandra threw herself on her bed and cried into her pillow. She didn't even bother closing the door. All of her stress was coming out now and there was nothing she could do to stop the flow of tears. She'd always known that Jace was a jerk, but his words at the table had been especially hurtful. Her life had been dedicated to her son from the moment he was born. She thought she'd raised him well and had given him the best life she could under the circumstances. Being a single mother was hard enough, but it had been worse with Zane being blind and having a magic she knew nothing about.

There was a gently knock on the door frame. She looked up and saw Jace standing there, clearly embarrassed, with his whole posture radiating nervousness. With a growl she threw another fireball at him, which his easily swept aside. She was on her feet right behind it and threw a punch at his face. Or she tried to. He grabbed her wrist in the air and easily pushed her inside, closing the door firmly behind them.

"I want to apologize!" he snapped. She tried to punch him with her other arm, and he grabbed that wrist easily as well. "Damn it, woman, will you listen to me?!"

"I don't give a flying fuck about anything you have to say!" she shouted, trying to pull her arms from his grip. However, she was tired, and he was a lot stronger than she remembered. "You're a liar and a thief and a coward and I hate your guts!"

"Guilty as charged!" he shouted with a sing-songy laugh, before getting right in her face. "And right now that feeling is entirely mutual."

He was snarling, and Chandra couldn't help but notice how sexy it was. It always took so much to get him riled up, and she loved watching him loose control like that. Her head was still a bit fuzzy from all the crying, and she watched in an almost out of body experience as she leaned in to kiss him. It wasn't sweet or loving, but a heated clashing of teeth and tongues. He slammed her against the wall, biting down on her neck, and she smirked through her cries. Yes, an angry Jace made for a very good lover, and that's exactly what she needed.

* * *

"Do you want to hear something sick?"

Sorin had long since moved into the den, and was sitting on the couch watching the fire when he heard Liliana's voice in the doorway. She held two glasses of wine and held one out to him as she sat next to him. They clinked glasses and he took a sip.

"Enthrall me," he purred, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to pull her close.

"I can't have children," she started, leaning into his side and turning to watch the fire as well. "I had some sort of infection as a child. Suited me just fine, I don't like children. They're loud and annoying and have a terrible way of getting under your skin."

"Here, here," Sorin chuckled, raising his glass in agreement.

"And yet… I was always jealous of other women who had them," she continued slowly, pondering over how to proceed with her story. "I was Chandra's interim priestess for a bit, but I didn't really get to meet her until my tenure was almost up. I heard about her though. Like when she carried her first child completely to term only for it to be stillborn… I laughed when I heard. And then when I heard about all of her miscarriages, I laughed. And I've kept laughing. I've watched her suffer like no woman should ever suffer and I can't stop laughing."

"Why bring this up now?" he asked, taking another sip of his wine.

"I thought it was obvious at dinner," she said with a small chuckle, draining her glass. "The way she picked at her food, almost threw up when the soup came out, put that god awful gravy on everything, refused your drink… She's pregnant again. And that child will die just like all the others and I'm already laughing."

Sorin pondered her words as he finished his wine. He waved his hand and a thrall appeared out of nowhere, pitcher in hand. She refilled both glasses before bowing and disappearing again. "Are you going to do something to cause this child's death?" he asked, taking another sip.

"Never!" she snapped, a look of horror crossing her face. "I would never do something like that!"

"Then it's not that sick," he said with a shrug. "When Uncle Edgar found out that my mom was pregnant again, he made a potion that he said would help her with the nausea, but it actually killed the baby. Then she was so distraught she threw herself off the tallest tower into the ravine. Now that's sick. You want to know something else that's pretty sick?" He took both glasses and set them down on the coffee table. Then with an inhuman speed he hoisted Liliana up and pulled her to straddle this lap. "If I feed on you while we have sex you'll have the best orgasm you've ever experienced in your life."

"That's a very high bar you're setting there, Lord Markov," Liliana giggled, grinding her hips down on him and making him groan. "I've had some pretty great ones."

"Then it seems like my work it cut out for me." With a grin, he barred his fangs and raked them gently against her shoulder. A shudder of pleasure went down her spine and a soft moan left her lips.

"Oh my GOD I can't get away from this tonight!"

Both heads snapped to the doorway at the intrusion. Zane stood there, covering his ears and shaking his head. His eyes stared unseeing at the opposite wall and Sorin chuckled slightly. The boy had come there enough (or perhaps too much) that he could navigate the manor without his sight.

"We'll continue this later," Liliana said with a wink before she climbed off Sorin and lead Zane over to an armchair. "What can't you get away from tonight? Is everything alright? I'd thought you'd gone to bed."

A look of terror crossed the boy's face as he sat. "I could hear my parents having angry hate sex from my room. It woke me up. I'll never get those sounds out my head."

Sorin could not help the bark of laughter that escaped him. "Oh _man_ that is the worst!"

"It's not funny!" Zane cried, burying his face in his hands. "It sounds like they're murdering each other! I don't want to think about it! GAH! I need some air."

The laughter from the two died as soon as Zane stood up. Sorin was on his feet in a second, grabbing his sword that lay nearby.

"If you're going out, I'm coming with you," Sorin said rather matter-of-fact-ly. "It's a full moon tonight and you're not healed yet. No way am I letting you go out on your own."

"You promised your mother you'd stay inside," Liliana reminded him, making him 'look' down in shame. "Just set up camp in one of the other wings and try to get some sleep."

"I'm just gonna go out the gardens. I'm not even leaving the grounds," Zane said as he pursed his lips. "I don't need a babysitter. I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can. I'm still coming with you." Sorin stood there with his arms crossed, the picture of stubbornness, but it was lost on the blind boy.

"No, you're not. I'll be fine."

"And to make sure you'll be fine I'm gonna come with you, end of discussion."

"You don't need to babysit me!"

"No, I need to put you on a leash!"

"Let me be!"

Zane didn't mean to lose control, he really didn't. But the telekentic force left him before he could stop it. Sorin went flying across the room, and Zane could hear the tell-tale squelch of something sharp impaling flesh. He heard Liliana's scream. In a panic, he tossed her too. He heard her hit the bookcase and the sickening crunch of breaking bones, then a body hitting the floor. Terrified, he brought up his sight and took a few staggering steps back. Sorin was pinned to the back wall with a spear that used to be in the hands of one of the suits of armor. Just a regular steel spear, so he'd be fine in a few hours. Liliana was in a heap on the floor, blood pooling around her head from a wound that was hidden by her hair.

Panicked, he ran. Out the front door, over the bridge, into the woods, as far from the manor as he could get before he collapsed from exhaustion. He'd almost killed his godparents. The image of what he'd done flashed through his mind and he curled himself up under a nearby tree, knees to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. He tried in vain to steady his breathing.

In the quiet of the forest, he screamed.

Almost in response to his swirling emotions, the clouds parted. He looked up as the bright light of the full moon streamed down on him through the trees. Though his mother had always told him how soothing it was, he never bought into the Sister's speech about the healing powers of the moon. That night, however, he felt his fear and confusion melting away the longer he stared. It felt like the light was wrapping him in a warm blanket, offering peace and protection. A sense of comfort washed over him, and slowly he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

When Chandra woke up the next morning, she was exhausted and sore all over. It was the good kind of sore that only came after really good, rough sex. She took stock of herself and the room and realized that Sorin was probably going to kill them. The room was completely trashed, with broken shelves and chair legs, burnt tapestries, and torn bed clothes. She turned to look at Jace, who had fallen asleep with his back to her, and she admired her handiwork. His back was bloodied, burnt, and scabbed. Her nails had done quite a number on him and she smirked thinking about how much it'll bother him while they heal.

Slowly her memories of the night before filtered back into her brain. She started to remember how, somewhere between their third and fourth round, when tempers cooled and everything became much gentler, they had started to talk. It wasn't much. She had confessed that she forgave him for running away centuries ago, and her current anger was from his lying. He admitted to being an awful coward, and couldn't stop apologizing. She remembered falling asleep in his arms listening to his heart beat.

Being careful not to wake him, she got out of bed and got dressed. Normally he was the one up before her, and she was so tempted to kick him out of bed to rouse him. She figured he was probably sleeping off a hangover and left him to it. There was only allowed to be one grumpy person at a time and she was determined to take that slot. After all, she couldn't have him thinking she'd forgiven him already.

She poked her head into Zane's room on her way down to find it empty. Not unusual, he always rose with the sun. She assumed he'd already gone down for breakfast and figured she'd follow suit. Before she could get to the dining hall, however, Sorin was storming down the halls towards her with sunken cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and skin paler than she'd ever seen him.

"I'm gonna gut your brat when I find him!" he snapped as he brushed past her, making a beeline for the front door.

"Gut him? Find him? Sorin wait!" she ran after him, managing to get between him and the door. "What are you talking about? What happened?"

"Your son skewered me, left Liliana an inch from death, and then ran off into the night!" Sorin snapped, growling in her face. "So I'm going to find him and gut him like a fish!"

"You must have spooked him!" Chandra snapped back, shoving Sorin back from the door. "You know he has a hard time controlling his magic, especially when he's threatened. Besides he just got out of the hospital and YOU let him run off on his own!"

"I was a little busy not dying!"

"You better pray that he's alright, or I'll finish what he started!"

Sorin gaped at her as she turned on her heels and ran out the door. He followed closely behind, shaking his head as he thought about this dysfunctional family.

* * *

Even with hounds and guards galore, it still took the better part of the morning to find Zane's trail. Chandra had been getting more and more nervous the longer it took, so as soon as someone pointed in a direction she was off. She went careening through the woods with Sorin hot on her heals, just barely dodging branches and roots. She took some vines to the face and, while she was sure she'd have some new scars, she didn't slow down. She could feel it in her bones; her son was in danger.

She rounded a thicket of trees and got the shock of her life. There were four massive Eldrazi spawn standing in a circle, all of them facing out. She could just barely see Zane between their legs, laying on the ground, unmoving. Panic shot through her and for a moment her blood ran ice cold. Fire quickly surged through her veins, hair and fists igniting. With a roar she ignited the ground beneath their feet, enveloping all four in their own personal geysers of flame. Three didn't move at all, but the one directly in front of her lashed out.

Sorin came around the bend just in time to see a tentacle crush Chandra. Or at least it looked that way. When the tentacle lifted, Chandra was gone. There was no blood or guts or anything. Sorin assumed she must have planeswalked in the nick of time. He only had a second to survey the scene before the tentacle swung at him again. He could see the remnants of Chandra's fire, three burning patches and nothing burning in them. Zane was still unconscious. The Eldrazi before him was scorched but still swinging. Weaving his way through the thrashing tentacles, he dispatched the Spawn with a practiced ease. With the Spawn dead before him, Sorin turned to the still unconscious lad. Vengance filled his vision as he stalked forward, raising his sword to strike once more.

"Mommy's not here to save you now," he hissed. He nudged him with his boot, turning him onto his back to he'd have a clean shot at his heart. Bringing his sword nearly over his head, he plunged it downward.

Or he would have, if he didn't feel the sting of a silvered blade pressing into his throat. He glanced down, just barely able to see it, but he could make out the intricately engraved dagger that he'd presented to Jace first time he came to Innistrad.

"Touch my son and you die where you stand," came the threat just seconds later. As per usual, Jace's calm demeanor unnerved Sorin, though he'd never let it show. Slowly he sheathed his sword and raised his hands to the surrender position. "Good choice."

Sorin let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as the dagger was pulled away. He watched as Jace showed an usual amount of paternal care as he saw to his still unconscious child. Zane wasn't injured, there were no bumps on his head or any outward clues as to why he was passed out. For a moment, Jace feared he'd had another seizure.

"Liliana's fine, by the way," Jace said so casually that Sorin almost missed it. "She's stunned and unsteady, but the wound was superficial."

"He still skewered me," Sorin hissed, his eyes narrowing. He knew Jace was trying to abate his anger, but it wasn't working.

"You're fine. Stop whining."

Sorin had been accused of many things during his long life. Whining was not one of them.

He didn't like it.

Before his retort could even reach his lips, Zane's eyes fluttered open. Jace's attention was back on his son in a second. Slowly Zane sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking around. He didn't look half as confused as Jace thought he should be, he looked tired. Lazily, he ran a hand through his hair.

"I thought I heard Ma's voice before," he said through a yawn. "Where is she?"

"Chandra was here?" Jace asked, his eyes flying to Sorin. "Where did she go?"

"She planeswalked when the fucking _Eldrazi_ almost killed her. Or did we forget about all of that sudden?" Sorin snapped, throwing up his hands in air in defeat.

"Eldrazi?" Zane asked, cocking his head. "I had a dream about Eldrazi."

"Not a dream kid," Sorin said with a sigh. "I'm going back to the manor. Maybe Chandra's there."

"There were Eldrazi here?" Zane asked, turning to his father for answers. "Dad what's going on?"

"I don't know, I didn't see them," Jace said with a shrug. "But if Sorin saw Eldrazi, I believe him. It's not safe here. Are you okay to walk?"

"Yeah."

* * *

It took three whole days for Chandra to return. During that time, Zane talked extensively with his Jace over his experience in the woods. He didn't remember much, just running away and then waking the next morning. He dreamt of four Eldrazi spawn watching over him all night while voices argued about whether he should live or die. Jace was surprised to hear the spawn were absolutely identical. In his experience, no two looked alike. He chalked that up to the dream state. After all, Sorin had only seen one. They decided that no real conclusions could be drawn with the information at hand. They needed Chandra's account of what she saw.

Liliana was back on her feet on day two. Contrary to Sorin's belief, she wasn't angry. She claimed it wasn't the first time Zane had tossed her across a room and it likely wouldn't be the last. Her worry was getting the better of her the longer Chandra was gone, but she was too unsteady to walk normally, much less Planeswalk. She had a couple of theories about what kept her, and part of her hoped for the worst. Not the sadistic part, mind you, but the part that worried for the woman she once called sister. If she was right about the parentage of this most recent pregnancy, she knew Chandra was in for nothing but heartache.

It was in the wee hours of the morning on the fourth day that Chandra made her grand reappearance, waking up the entire mansion in the process. She tore through like a bat out of hell demanding to know the fate of her son. Nothing anyone said could calm her until Zane finally appeared, half asleep and clad in his ducky pajamas. She all but collapsed right on the spot, sobbing and oh so glad he was alright. Hugging her was a mistake, because she clung to him so tightly that they had to wake Gideon to pry her off. After another five minutes of reassurances and pleads for another hour or two of sleep, Chandra went off to the den in a huff and the rest of the house went back to bed.

Much to her surprise, Jace was in the den already when she arrived. She found him standing in front of the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back, staring intently at the embers of a long since extinguished flame. Papers and books were scattered all over the coffee table and she shook her head. From the look of his wrinkled shirt and the deep indent in the chair cushion he must have been up all night doing paperwork.

Either he was too tired to react, or more rightly he already knew she was there, because he didn't flinch when her quick exhale made the fire roar back to life. He just tossed another log onto it and kept staring.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice hoarse from not speaking for hours. He didn't turn to face her, not yet. "It's been more than three days."

"Only a few hours for me," she said with a shrug, plopping herself down on the couch. She put her feet up on the coffee table, careful not to touch anything, and suddenly realized how tired she was. "I'm fine."

 _Liar,_ he thought to himself. He'd been using his magic to watch her ever since she landed. After watching people for so long, he realized they all made specific faces when things happen, or when they think of certain things. This was far beyond just a frown or a smile or an arched eyebrow. It was the little ticks that no one really thinks about. In that moment, he noted the little crow's feet wrinkles around her eyes, the extra redness from her earrings, and a little chaffing around the rings on her fingers. She had been frowning that one worry frown that only leaves those wrinkles, nervously fiddling with her earrings and her rings, and if he'd gotten a look at her palms, he'd guess there would be a ton of scratches. Something happened while she was gone and it scared her.

"How many Eldrazi were there?" he asked, mentally changing the subject. If he knew anything about her, it was that she wouldn't tell him a damn thing until she was ready, so there was no use dwelling on it. "There's some debate."

"Four," she said with a confident nod. "But only one attacked. I set the other three on fire."

"Four?" he asked, finally turning to face her. She looked exhausted and it tugged at his heart. "And just one attacked? Are you sure?"

"I thought it was weird too, but I wasn't complaining," she said with a shrug. "It looked like they were all just standing watch. How's Zane? He looks alright but…"

"He's fine." Jace started cleaning up the papers, glad for an excuse to call it a night. Lavinia was going to be pissed that he didn't finish everything he'd promised, but that was about par for the course. He saw Chandra giving him a weary look and he rolled his eyes. "Really, he's none the worse for wear. He doesn't have so much as a bruise. He's got your courage, that's for sure." _Not a coward like me._

"I'm not courageous," Chandra muttered, looking down at her feet. "I'm just a mom. When I saw him like that… I was so scared. I just reacted."

"Tell me exactly what happened," Jace prodded, turning to her to let him know she had his full and undivided attention.

So she did, down to every last detail. He was a bit jealous of her ability to recall such vast amounts of information. Even he needed the aid of his magic to remember most things. Or perhaps he'd just come to rely on it too much. In return, he told her Sorin and Zane's account of it all. He had to admit, he was very curious about the other three spawn, but it seemed he'd have to content himself with the mystery. He'd never really know what happened that night in the forest.

A ghost of a smile passed across his face as he realized this was the longest civil conversation they'd had in a while. He sat back, enjoying just being able to talk to her again. Even at their worst they were still able to talk about something (even if it was just a complaining session), so the last few months of radio silence had nearly killed him. He was remiss to try and break the spell. One question was nagging at him though…

"What kept you on Oracle for a few hours?" he asked suddenly after a few minutes of silence. She told him she'd taken quite a wild walk after the tentacle hit her and crash landed on Oracle. "I thought you would have come right back? Surely you were worried?"

"Of course I was!" She snapped, cursing herself. She'd hoped he wouldn't put two and two together, but this was Jace. He was too clever for his own damn good. The sudden ferocity of her words made him jolt back, and she pressed that. "You try getting sucker punched into another dimension! I was too weak to walk back right away. Besides that, the sisters wanted to make sure I wasn't injured. I'm not, thanks for asking!"

"I am damned in your eyes no matter what I do, aren't I?" he snapped back. He'd been holding this in for months. The words started spilling from his lips before he could stop them. Not that he wanted to, letting it all out felt strangely freeing. "I am so sick and tired of you shitting all over me because you can't get over yourself. I've made mistakes, I've owned up to them, if you don't want to forgive me that's your problem. But you don't get to sit there and treat me like I'm not trying to make it right. I was so set on trying to make this work. I wanted us to pick up where we left off. I wanted us to be a family… I would have taken you to church tomorrow!" He let out a frustrated growl and threw his hands in the air as his words suddenly failed him. An image of her in a wedding dress was very distracting.

"'Would have'? 'Wanted'?" she echoed, her voice small and tentative. It diffused his anger in a second as a look of sorrow and regret hung over her face. "Past tense? As in you don't want to anymore?"

It looked like she was about to cry and he mentally kicked himself for not keeping better track of his words. "Well you haven't exactly made it easy," he sighed, slumping down on his side of the couch.

"I know, and I'm sorry." She looked down, her fair falling to cover her face. She was wringing her hands in her lap and it took every ounce of self-control Jace possessed to not scoop her into a hug. "I've been terrible to you and you don't deserve that. You've been nothing but kind to me all this time and you've gone out of your way to help and I've been an ungrateful bitch. And if you don't want anything to do with me anymore I understand. I wouldn't if I were you."

"That's not what I said," Jace said softly, reaching over to her. She was on her feet before he got to her though. "Chandra please…"

"I'm sorry I have to go now," she said quickly, rushing out of the room.

She wasn't fast enough though, and he could hear her sobs from down the hall. In a rare moment of anger, he flipped the coffee table and hurled it across the room. He really was damned no matter what.

* * *

A few hours later found Zane and Chandra in the garden having a simple breakfast. She could only stomach dry toast, and he was never hungry in the morning. Instead he sipped his tea and watched his mother carefully. They didn't talk much, a few short words about how all was well and that was it. She stared out at nothing, lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even notice her hand was idly rubbing her stomach, but Zane certainly did. He cleared his throat as he put down his tea, bringing Chandra back into the present.

"Boy or girl?" he asked casually as he scrutinized the pastry tray. He opted for a little chocolate cake shaped like a rose and started cutting it up.

"Girl," she replied, a small smile gracing her lips. He always was clever, just like his father, and it warmed her heart to see it. "How did you know?"

"I've seen you pregnant enough times to know the signs," he said with a shrug, popping a piece of the cake in his mouth. He immediately spit it out and had a disgusted look on his face. "There are raisins in here!"

"Crime against humanity, that," she said with a chuckle. She watched as he carefully selected a tool to start dissecting the cake and figured it was as good a time as any. "She'll live this time."

Zane had just barely started picking the raisins out of the cake, but when he heard that the knife slipped from his hand and clattered on the cobblestones. He looked at his mother in earnest, half nervous and half excited. "Really? You know for a fact?"

"She's gonna be a planeswalker like you," Chandra said with a smile as Zane's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I'm gonna be a big brother? For real this time?" He was trying so hard to contain himself and Chandra found it adorable.

"For real," she confirmed with a nod. He jumped out of his chair in excitement and ran over to hug his mother. All she could do was laugh and hug him back. His joy was calming her nerves quite a bit.

He let go after a few seconds and just jumped around the small patio, shouting to the world, "I'm gonna be a big brother!" A sudden realization washed over him and he stopped in his tracks, turning to face his mother once again. "Does Dad know? Is it Dad's? Of course it is, who else's would it be. But does he know? Did you tell him? I'm gonna go tell him—"

"No!" She was on her feet in a second, rushing over to stop him from going anywhere. "That's not a good idea. He's… We're… it's complicated."

Zane's shoulders slumped, and his expression sobered. "Why do adults always say that? It's not complicated, you just don't want to talk. Your stubbornness isn't always endearing, ya know."

"Why do you have to be so much like your father?" she asked with a sigh, shaking her head. "We did talk, last night. I don't think he's very keen on the idea of family."

"I think you're wrong."

"I know I'm not."

"Well I know you are!"

"You are just as stubborn as your father!"

"No, I'm just as stubborn as you."

Chandra clamped her mouth shut and huffed in that cute way women do. Zane just chuckled. His mother's antics had been a saving grace for him since he was a child. "Don't tell him!"

"Fine! But as always, I think you should," Zane said with a sigh, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You won't be able to hide it for much longer."

"I know, I know, I'm just trying to figure out how to tell him…"

"Like he was trying to figure out how to tell you that he remembered everything?" He raised his eyebrows at her shocked face and smirked. "You think he'll be mad at you because you're not telling him right away? Oh gosh, Ma, he might just stop talking to you for a few months until there's some life shattering disaster. I'm personally looking forward to your stress-fueled mental breakdown when you finally realize you still love him and he rejects you in the coldest manner possible."

"Your sarcasm is wholly unnecessary."

"Yet always charming."

"Did he really have a breakdown after…?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny."

* * *

" _Shosha!"_

 _Rowena looked up from her tomatoes, tucking a stray lock of grey hair behind her ears as she watched her granddaughter slowly pick her way through the garden. Chandra was never the most nimble child, and she made a valiant effort to not squash anything. She did well, until she was three steps from her grandmother and got cocky. Her heel went right in the middle of a zucchini plant._

" _Not to worry, Doshosha," Rowena said with a smile, helping Chandra over to her. She hovered a hand over the plant and let her magic seep into the flowers. They watched the plant spring back to life and Chandra smiled._

" _I'm sorry, Shosha," she said sheepishly, wringing her hands together. Rowena could tell her nervousness wasn't from hurting the plant._

" _What's wrong, my beautiful little Firebrand?" Rowena asked, pushing Chandra's hair from her face. "You look so nervous. Has something happened?"_

 _Chandra just nodded as her grandmother led her inside. Once there, she started to fix a pot of tea for the both of them. Not much was said until the tea was poured and scones were in hand. Then Chandra told all to her one confidant. "Mom and Dad are conspiring to marry me off again. I don't want to get married, Shosha. Have some man tell me what to do and where to go and what to wear for the rest of my life? Become nothing more than some breeding machine for him? No thanks! I am never getting married and I'm most certainly not marrying whatever slob my parents push on me! What should I do?"_

 _Rowena looked thoughtful for a second, giving Chandra that warm and loving gaze that put her right at ease. "Have I ever told you the story of when I found out I was going to be a grandmother?" Chandra just shook her head and marveled at her grandmother. Though not a native to Kaladesh, Rowena had been speaking the language so long that her accent was as thick and beautiful as any of them. Chandra loved hearing her speak, not just for what she said, but how she said it. "You will discover this in time as well, Doshosha. The High Priestess will have a vision of her heir when she is conceived. I knew your mother was pregnant before she did because I had a vision of you. Dreams all night of the amazing woman you will grow into."_

" _What does this have to do with me getting married?" Chandra groaned, taking a huge bite of her scone. It was unladylike, and her mother would be screaming at her if she was there._

" _Because in that vision I saw you with your husband," Rowena said with a smile as Chandra half choked on her scone. "I remember it so clearly. You did not look too much older than you are now, meaning that you are going to find him and marry him soon. Do not fight your parent's wishes. Embrace them."_

" _What did this_ husband _look like?" Chandra asked, rolling her eyes. "So I can know him when I see him and not waste my time with any looser."_

 _Rowena let out a hearty laugh. "You sound just like your father. This man was handsome, tall, with dark hair and blue eyes that glowed with intense magic."_

" _So he'll be a mage like me?" Chandra asked, hopeful for the first time in a long time. She could almost picture this handsome stranger and smiled at the thought._

" _As if you would settle for anything less!"_

" _That'll help me narrow it down."_

" _Indeed."_

" _But how do you know he's my husband? Did he say something?"_

" _Let me tell you the whole thing." Rowena put her cup down and extended her hand to her granddaughter. Chandra gingerly took it and Rowena began to use her magic to show Chandra the vision. As much as she could, anyway, her magic was fading faster and faster as she aged and all she managed was blurry shapes and colors. "You were dancing with him at an elegant outdoor party in a dress of the deepest crimson. You were angry and tired, like you'd just been having an argument with him, but still he asked you to dance to ease your temper."_

" _I hope I punched him."_

" _No, dear, you laid your head on his chest and swayed to the music of a soft violin. He told you he loved you, and he'd do anything to have you not be angry with him._ That _is when you punched him."_

" _He deserved it."_

" _You don't know that. Then you kissed him and said you forgive him. And you told him you love him too."_

" _That doesn't mean he's my husband," Chandra snapped, pulling her hand from her grandmother's and letting the vision dissipate. "That doesn't mean anything. Lots of people kiss each other and say they love each other. That doesn't mean they're married."_

" _True, but the wedding band on your finger did. And my own intuition." Chandra just rolled her eyes. "Do not sass me, young lady. I know what I am talking about!"_

" _I'm sure you do, Shosha. But Mom will never let me go to an elegant party or give me a nice dress, or even let me talk to anyone she doesn't deem appropriate, so your vision was wrong."_

" _My visions are never wrong," Rowena said firmly. "And neither will yours be. You must trust them."_

" _Yeah, well the last vision I had was of the village being burned down and everyone dying," Chandra snorted. "So I think I'm safe saying my visions are always wrong."_

* * *

It was well after noon when Chandra awoke, the dream of her grandmother still fresh in her mind. No, not a dream, a memory from a lifetime ago. She snorted and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. Hindsight being what it is, Chandra really should have listened to her grandmother's warning about her visions. Perhaps if she had, her village wouldn't have been destroyed. But still she puzzled, why would her brain conjure up that memory? She already knew the daughter she carried was her heir, and remembered the visions she had that night in Avaric. Rolling onto her back again, Chandra idly stroked her stomach and sighed. There had to be more to it than that.

Dream study was never her forte, and all she drew was a big fat blank. The longer she thought about it, the more the dream faded, until she could barely remember a single detail. Trying to recall memories from over a thousand years ago was difficult enough. Their Sparks might have granted them infinite life, but it did nothing to help their finite memories. Perhaps she could ask Jace to help her recall. Or she would, if she wasn't still pissed at him.

Several days had passed since her return from Oracle. Much as she wanted to run right back to Ravnica and dive head first into her work, Liliana was still recovering from her head wound and Zane had refused to leave her side. Well Chandra refused to leave Innistrad without Zane, and Jace didn't want to leave without Chandra. Gideon was the only one with enough horse sense to pack up and move on. She missed Gideon, but she was glad he wasn't there to pester her anymore.

Slowly she got up, letting the sheets fall from her nude form as she walked towards the full length mirror. She turned to the side and sucked in her stomach. It was no good. There was a baby bump there she just couldn't hide. She huffed out the air she was holding and slumped over. The bump became even more obvious. It was a wonder no one had noticed beforehand, most of all her. Then again, she hated looking at herself in the mirror. All she saw were flaws. Thighs there were just a little too thick, breasts that were too small, a waist that wasn't small enough, and a myriad of scars that spoke of too many battles. Not to mention a crooked nose, squinty eyes, and hair that just never cooperated. She hated how she looked.

"Oh my Lady! I'm so sorry I didn't realize you weren't dressed!"

So lost in thought, Chandra hadn't even heard the door open. She turned to see one of the maids standing there, covering her face with a large box. Chandra just chuckled a little and pulled on the nearby robe.

"It's alright," she said, pulling the knot tight. "What's that?"

"Your gown for this evening," the maid said, setting the box down on the bed.

Chandra had almost forgotten. Their stay on Innistrad just _happened_ to coincide with the birthday of one of Sorin's cousins. She called bullshit, but when one had a family as large as Sorin's, she was surprised there wasn't a birthday every day of the year. Of course, none of them had packed for a ball, so Sorin had taken the liberty of having gowns and suits made for all of them by Innistrad's finest tailor. She was eager to see what was in store for her. Whenever she came to Innistrad, she would marvel at the gowns Sorin's cousins wore. They were all gorgeous, full of gold and lace. She figured one must feel like royalty with a dress like that. Of course she never plucked up enough nerve to get one, the seamstress in her hated the idea of having something made by someone else. Someone _else_ getting it for her though? Well how could she turn down such a generous present?

When the maid lifted the top from the box, Chandra's blood ran ice cold. Her dream came back to her in a second as all the air left her lungs. She had to grab onto the post of the bed to keep from falling over. Suddenly she realized why her brain had chosen that day to recall that particular memory.

Inside the box was a dress of the deepest crimson.

* * *

By the time the sun went down, the party was in full swing. As it turned out, it was Olivia Volderen's birthday, and it seemed nearly all of Innistrad had turned out for the celebration. Sorin had anticipated the huge turnout, and so instead of the party being in the ballroom like usual, he'd had everything set up in the gardens. The place was packed, with the dancefloor and the stage for the orchestra being the only organized spaces. They played a merry tune, and the dancers spun and jumped with a practiced ease. Even Zane had gotten up to dance, urged on by a pretty young lady in blue satin who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he kept a decent distance between them. Liliana stayed close to Sorin, his arm wrapped protectively around her, though Chandra suspected it was more to help her stay upright. Her head wound was worse than she let on, but she'd be damned if she let anyone see that weakness.

"Ma?" Chandra had been sitting at one of the round dining tables, sipping a glass of water and trying not to vomit when she heard Zane's voice. She looked up, seeing her son with a huge smile on his face and his arm outstretched, looking ever so handsome in his suit. The tailor had given him a black suit with an elegant paisley pattern just barely noticeable unless it was in the right light. He'd slicked his wild hair back, though despite his obvious best efforts it spiked up in the back. "Come dance with me, Ma."

"Maybe later," she said with a tired smile. "I'm not feeling well."

"You should loosen your corset then," he said with a shrug, dropping down into the seat next to her.

"I'm not wearing one," she replied pointedly, taking another sip of water. "I'm just nauseous."

"Dad's been watching you all night." Zane jammed a thumb over his shoulder and Chandra followed it. Jace stood on the other side of the dance floor, chatting with someone, but his eyes kept glancing over to her every few seconds. Their eyes met and get gave her a soft smile. She just cast her eyes down. "You need to tell him."

"I know," she said with a sigh, looking up in time see Jace excusing himself from his conversation and started to make his way towards her. "Tonight."

It took Jace several shots before he'd plucked up enough courage to go talk to Chandra. Her temper and complete disregard for collateral damage scared the living daylights out of him. It was double because he wasn't totally sure where he stood in her mind. She'd made it clear to him that she hated him, but he wasn't going to stop without a fight. The 'fight' was knocked right out of him when Sorin's hand clamped heavily on his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. Red eyes glared daggers at blue and he audibly gulped when the vampire lord got right in his face.

"Let me make something very clear to you," Sorin growled, making Jace's stomach flip. "I like Chandra more than I like you. She's a good, honest woman. You run off on her again, you break her heart, you do anything to hurt her, and you will find the multiverse is a very small place. Do I make myself clear?"

The grip on his shoulder tightened to a painful level, but Jace didn't let it show on his face. He just nodded. "Received and understood."

"Good." Sorin let him go and disappeared into the crowd. Jace had to take a minute to stead his breathing again and get his heart rate under control before he finished the walk over to Chandra.

She was alone at the table again, Zane having run off with one of the serving boys. His heart strings pulled as he realized how tired she looked. Even make up couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes. Her brow was furrowed as she stared off into the distance, the look in her eyes showing that she was trying to reconcile with something in her heart. He cleared his throat, watching her come back to herself but she didn't look at him. He held out his hand.

"Dance with me?" he asked quietly. She didn't react right away and for a second he thought she didn't hear him. He was about to ask again when her eyes fixed on his hand. Her exhausted gaze traveled up to his eyes and his heart ached. He caused this. "Please?"

Slowly her hand found his, and for the first time he realized just how small she is. Her hand felt frail in his own, weak, nothing like the pillar of strength he'd come to know over the years. He was so used to her walking quickly with her long legs that it shocked him to see her taking small, lethargic steps. He didn't lead her to the middle of the dance floor like he usually did. Instead he kept to the fringes, letting her head fall on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. They just swayed for a while, giving him time to collect his thoughts. He wasn't going to start this off poorly. Again.

"I'm sorry," was all he managed in his first breath. Cursing himself in seven different languages in his head, he took another breath and started again. "I know I've hurt you and there's no excuse for that. I also know that I can't go into the past and change what I've done no matter how much I want to. All I can do is look to the future and I can't see my future without you. I just can't. I love you more than words can express. It defies every ounce of logic in my brain. So be angry with me. Hit me, burn me, throw me into the sky, don't talk to me for months, I don't care what you do if that's what it takes for you to forgive me. I will do literally anything within my power just to see you smile at me again. Please, Chandra, tell me, what will it take? What can I do for you to not be mad at me anymore?"

She chanced a glance into his eyes and sighed. He was pleading with her, and his eyes held a sorrow she'd never seen before. Another deep sigh left her and she just shook her head. He asked what he could do to make things right and there were a couple of things that popped into her mind. All the fighting made her tired, she was ready to forgive him, but she wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. Her fist slammed into his chest, smoke wafting up as she burned a hole in his suit. He flinched but didn't move, letting her take out her anger on his clothing.

"I hate you so much," she growled, though not half as intense as it had been the last few days. "I've hated you for years for what you did to me. Then you waltz back into my life with that stupid perfect face and your stupid perfect smile and you're annoying smart ass self… And you're _so good_ with Zane and I _hate_ that you made me think about you as a dad. I _hate_ that you actually made me consider that we might have a future. I _**hate**_ how much you made me want that!" She punched his chest again, this time more for effect than anything else, and half-heartedly glared at him. "And I hate how you made me fall in love with you again. So yes, dumb ass, I already forgave you. Now shut up and kiss me."

Jace didn't waste a second. He kissed her soundly, feeling a weight lift off his heart as she kissed him back, fingers threading into his hair. She gave his hair a sharp tug as a silent warning that he understood. He had no plans to hurt her again. He felt her chuckle into the kiss and pulled away, a carefree smile on her face that took his breath again.

"You should know," she said, shaking her head a little, "I'm pregnant again. I swear to the gods if you disappear on me again I will hunt you down and kick your ass from here to kingdom come."

"Funny, Sorin threatened something very similar," he replied with a chuckle, pressing his forehead to hers. "And I already know." Her shocked look made him bark out a laugh. "Liliana told me a few days ago. Somehow Zane is terrible at keeping secretes."

"God fucking damn it, Zane," she said with a chuckle, shaking her head again. "That boy will never learn…"

She leaned up to kiss him again, but a terrified scream cut her short. Fire was in her hands on a second as she jumped back from Jace to take a fighting stance. He did the same, and they both looked around frantically for the source of the commotion. They didn't have to wait long, as the patrons of the party started fleeing in terror all around them. As the crown quickly thinned, they could see what caused the ruckus. A massive Eldrazi spawn stood at the edge of the hedge maze, two bodies wrapped in writhing tentacles. Jace recognized them both, the vampiress in the blue satin gown and the waiter that Zane ran off with. Panic shot through him for just a second before his eyes landed on his son.

Zane stood in front of the spawn, one hand out just a little like he was telling a dog to stay put. He was emotionless as he stood there, like he was waiting for something. Slowly he picked his head up and Jace actually took a step back. His eyes were completely black, little tendrils of some dark eldritch power seeping out of them. Jace glanced at Chandra, who looked conflicted between attacking the Eldrazi and helping her son. Before he could tell her to stay put, the ground warped beneath his feet. He looked back at Zane, who now had his eyes locked on his father.

A familiar (but unwanted) feeling washed over him and the next thing he knew, he was standing in a completely white… space. He could hardly call it a room, there weren't any walls that he could see, just endless white. Zane stood before him, black eyes still staring at him. It was unnerving, but Jace couldn't look away.

"How appropriate that I chose the illusionist's son as my proxy." Zane's voice was there, but overlapped with another voice. A light one, airy, feminine. He recognized it immediately. "If I had only known."

"Emrakul," he hissed, taking a threatening step towards… it. "Give me back my son."

It seemed not to hear him, and continued on like he hadn't said a word. "I had hoped he would take more after his mother. The power of the Priestess is what we needed, not some two bit mind reader. Though it hardly matters now. My brothers are dead and I am tired."

"What have you done?" Jace asked, deflating a little hearing how dejected it sounded. It finally acknowledged him, and cocked its head.

"It is nice to talk properly," it said, a ghost of a smile coming to its face. "His brain is like yours, adaptable. So very easy to use. I should thank you."

"Save your breath."

"It was Kozilek's idea. Planeswalkers Sparks ignite all the time. They fall through our domain, helpless and fragile. When this one's Spark ignited, he was effectively dead. So I planted a seed to be cultivated and nurtured as he grew and learned and trained. For one day, when he was ready, I would become flesh through him. I could have a form again. We all could have. But the opportunity for Kozilek and Ulamog never came. Once again I am alone. What's worse is the boy was not ready."

"What do you mean, not ready?"

"Not ready. He ia not strong enough. His will is weak. The seed sprouted too soon and here I am in a body that will soon reject me. And I will be gone."

A picture began to form in Jace's mind. The seizure that Zane had released… whatever it was that Emrakul planted. Bringing him to Innistrad had put him right in her path. He felt sick. Bile rose up in the back of this throat and he forced it back down. Licked his dry lips nervously before he spoke. "When he rejects you… will he die?"

"Unlikely," came the uninterested response.

Relief flooded through him and his shoulder's slumped a little. "Now that this… seed is sprouted… Will you be able to come back?"

"I told you, his will is weak. It will not be able to cultivate my power for long. Once I am gone, I am gone."

Jace nodded solemnly. He almost felt bad for it. But something nagged in the back of his mind that needed an answer. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I promised to answer your questions if you won, did I not?"

A manic laugh erupted from him as he remembered. Last time they 'spoke' on Innistrad, she had agreed to answer him if he won a game of chess. He'd won, but she flipped the board and left before she spoke. He'd thought it was just a figment of his imagination.

"How long do you have?" he asked, getting control of himself again.

"A few more minutes perhaps. Maybe less. Do tell your bride to stop throwing fireballs at me. It is most annoying."

He gave it a confused look. It just huffed and waved its hand. A circular window opened and they watched as Chandra attacked the Spawn, doing her best to avoid hitting her son. Zane still stood there, unmoving, unflinching as fire rained down around him. Jace looked back to the figure before him, a perfect replica of his son, and then back at the fight. He could see his own body lying in the gravel, eyes rolled back in his head. All he could think to say was, "She's not my bride."

"Not yet," it shrugged, closing the portal. "He inherited something from her. An ability to see the future. Useful, if not frustrating. Apparently he saw the wedding centuries ago in a dream."

"That explains a lot…" Jace sighed, turning to look fully at the figure. "So what will you do with me?"

"I thought we could play a game." Jace turned to see a chess set floating in the air between them. He arch his eyebrow at it and it gave him a sad smile. "I am alone. You are the first contact I've had in years. Humor me for the few minutes I have left."

Jace just nodded and stepped up to the board.

* * *

Several things happened at once. Jace jolted upright as his mind came back to him, Zane hit the ground, and the Spawn disappeared. Sorin, who had been in mid swing at the time, lost his balance and fell flat on his face. Chandra was at her son's side in a second, gathering him into her arms as Jace stumbled over to them. Both men were white as sheets, and there was a sheen of sweat on Jace's brow that concerned Chandra. She cupped his cheek and he just shook his head, a silent 'I'll tell you later' passing between them. His chest heaved as he tried to get his breath back. There was something about the way Emrakul chose to speak with him that had been absolutely exhausting. He pressed his palm to Zane's forehead and sent a pulse of magic through his mind to wake him up. The boy snapped up right out of his mother's arms, eyes wide and confused as he came back to himself. His eyes landed on his father and he threw his arms around him, knowing that Jace understood.

"She's so lonely, Dad," he breathed, the cold, empty feeling that Emrakul brought slowly dissipating. It still weighed heavily on his heart and his mind and it scared him.

"I know…" Jace said with a nod, cradling his son's head as he rubbed his back. Chandra gave him a confused look and he just squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip as he too tried to push that lingering feeling from his heart. "I know…"

With a small nod, Chandra came over and wrapped her arms around them, putting Zane in a nice little sandwich. "We're right here, sweetie," she said softly, pressing a kiss to her son's temple. "You're not alone. You'll never be alone; Mom and Dad are right here."

It didn't take too much longer for Zane's strength to crumble and he dissolved into to tears in his parent's arms. The small family sat there a moment taking a moment's peace while life returned to the rest of the garden. Some of the party patrons who hid instead of fleeing the grounds came out into the open, nervous and shaky, but all in one piece. The spawn had only done superficial damage, the only people having been hurt were the one girl and the waiter, and a few soldiers and knights who fought back. They were being tended to by servants and clerics while others came to start cleaning up the damage. Now that the initial excitement had calmed down, no one seemed particularly phased by the attack. Then again, eldritch horrors causing chaos was just another Tuesday on Innistrad.

Zane was completely drained and ended up falling soundly asleep in his parents' arms. Despite his own exhaustion, Jace carried him back up to his room with Chandra hot on his heels. They both tucked him in into bed, one on either side. He awoke briefly, just to get a bearing on his surroundings, and slipped back to sleep when his parents both pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. Chandra pushed a piece of hair out of his face while Jace got the lights and they both left the room with their heads hung a little. Once outside, Jace fell heavily against the wall, the strain of the night finally settling on his shoulders as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like he was going to fall asleep right there on his feet when he felt Chandra's hand on his arm. Her smile was small, forced, her own exhaustion clear in the crease in the corners of her eyes. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his chest, letting her head fall on his shoulder as she let out a tired sigh.

"Are you hurt?" he whispered, unable to get his voice any louder.

"No," she muttered back, eyes fluttering as she tried valiantly to stay awake.

Jace just nodded and stifled a yawn, his eyes slipping shut a couple of times. The hallway was blessedly clear of people, so there was no one trying to fuss over them, but there was also no one to usher them back to their rooms to sleep. They did that once before on Zendikar. A battle had just been won and Jace had taken the opportunity to chastise Chandra on her impulsiveness just minutes after it had concluded. For privacy, he'd pulled her into an alley way, but when exhaustion over took both of them no one noticed that they'd fallen asleep slumped against the wall, Chandra tucked into Jace's side. There they were again as Jace slid down the wall with her, letting out another heavy sigh. It was a small moment of peace and quiet. Any minute someone would come running down the hall looking for them. Jace was far too tired to care. He summoned the last dregs of energy to place a protective spell around them. Before he could completely slip off, however, he nudged Chandra a little bit.

"Hey, Chandra," he muttered, feeling her groan into his shoulder. "Marry me?"

"Okay," she muttered back, clearly half asleep. It made him chuckle a little and his eyes closed.

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure."

* * *

The next morning found both Jace and Chandra asleep in their own rooms. Neither could really remember anything that happened after the spawn disappeared, much less how they ended up back in their rooms on opposite ends of the wing. Chandra was up first and had wandered down to Zane's room, only to find him already up, dressed, and out on his balcony. He had something in his hand that he fiddled with and muttered under his breath in a language that she didn't know. Before she got close enough to see what it was, it vanished from his hands and he turned to smile at her. He didn't bear a mark of exhaustion from the night before, in fact he looked renewed in a sense. They didn't share a word as she joined him on the balcony and turned their faces towards the breeze. It was a beautiful morning. Something about it gave them the sense that everything was going to be okay.

They went down a few minutes later, only to be confronted by Jace, Sorin, and packed bags. It was then that Sorin politely, but firmly, told them all to get lost and that they'd caused enough trouble in his lands for one evening. Besides that, he feared that once the sun came down there would be a witch hunt for Zane's head. So home they went with barely a word spoken between the three of them. Liliana stayed behind claiming her injury prevented her from walking, but Chandra knew better, if the massive (and poorly covered) hickey on her neck was anything to go by.

It had been less than a day on Ravnica when they returned. Perhaps it was just as well, they could pretend that the horrors on Innistrad hadn't happened. Zane was the only one who seemed in relatively high spirits. He felt like he was free, like a great weight had been lifted off his soul and he could think clearly for the first time in his life. Relief flooded his veins when, upon locking himself in his room, he realized that naught but sweet silence dominated his mind. No whispers, no strange visions, nothing but his own mind and his own thoughts. That was comforting. And… strangely lonely. A feeling he'd have to get used to, he supposed.

While Zane contemplated his newfound alone-ness, Jace and Chandra sat in the living room talking over their own situation. It was… awkward, to say the least. They weren't mad at each other anymore, but there was still an air of uncertainty around them about where they stood. There they sat, a glass of wine in hand each (though Chandra's was probably just juice) and a heavy air in the room. Chandra was staring into the fire, silent and pensive, and it made Jace a little nervous. Just as he opened his mouth to crack what was undoubtedly going to be the worst dad-joke he could muster, Chandra broke the silence.

"Did Liliana tell you that I'm having a girl?" she asked, the ghost of a smile on her face as she turned to look at him for the first time since they sat down.

"She did not," he replied, taking a sip of deep red wine. It only took him another second to realize the significance of that and he nearly choked on his drink. "A girl? An heir?!" She nodded and he smiled. "Better late than never, right?"

"Right," she said, mirroring his mirth. They both remembered how many conversations they'd had about that. Her need for a daughter to pass on her tittle. Her desire to have one _before_ she had to take it herself. It was all a bit ironic really.

"I want to be part of her life," he said, sighing heavily and rubbing the back of his neck. "If you'll let me, that is."

"No I'd much prefer you to run off for a thousand years," she deadpanned, arching a brow at him. She pursed her lips and nearly drained her glass. "You're a good dad to Zane, I'd like you to be a great dad for our little girl."

"I can certainly do my best," he pondered thoughtfully.

"That's all I need." She shrugged and grinned, scooting over so she could nuzzle into his side. His arms were around her in a second. He breathed in her warmth and let it fill him to his soul. "Aaaannd maybe a new ring?"

"Hm?" She lifted her hand to show him the obsidian ring her gave her so long ago. "I still can't believe you kept that."

"I'm sentimental. Sue me."

"For all you're worth. Which is considerable, since you're worth so very much to me."

"I'm worth something to you?"

"! I mean you're valuable—! You mean a lot—! Shit… I'm going to throw myself into a pit now…"

"Yeah I think you better had."

"You enjoy dissing me, don't you?"

"No, you just make it so easy."

That gave them both a rather good chuckle and they settled in to watch the fire for a bit. Drinks were finished and an amicable silence reigned while they enjoyed each other's company. Before they knew it, the sun was completely set, the fire was dying down, and Chandra was drifting off to sleep in Jace's arms. She was drifting off, barely able to keep her eyes open, but Jace was wide awake though his mind was far away. He had sent a projection of himself to his office to try and hammer out a bit of a paperwork and another to head to the market to pick up ingredients for dinner. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world but he could manage a simple stew that wouldn't upset her stomach.

"Dad?" Jace started back into his own mind at the voice of his son from the door. He turned to look and saw Zane standing there in his leathers and a pack on his back. Jace shushed him and made a vague motion to Chandra who was stirring. Zane grimaced and whispered, "I have a lot of work to do. I gotta go."

"We just got home, how much work could you have?" Jace asked, though he knew full well how much could pile up at the Consortium in just a few hours.

"Everything from when I was in the hospital and then some," Zane whispered back, rolling his eyes. "Do you want me to be on the lookout for some fancy rings?"

"Does she look like a fancy person to you?" Jace asked, arching a brow. "You know her better than that."

"Yeah I know, I just wanted to make sure you did." Zane smirked and winked at his father before vanishing.

Jace laughed quietly and just shook his head at his son's antics. It seemed like things were going to go back to normal pretty quickly. Or as normal as they could, anyway. Family, friends, and monsters around every corner. Yeah. That was a life Jace could get used to.


End file.
